By 4am on Thursday, the first military family members had already arrived at Naval Air Station North Island, huddling on metal bleachers in the dark to secure a spot for the ship's return. Among them was Pvt Grayden Monroe, 19, a soldier stationed at Fort Campbell wearing his army uniform, waiting for his 21-year-old sister to step off the carrier. 'I hope she's proud of me,' Monroe said, 'and I hope she knows damn well that I'm just as proud of her.'
As the sun rose, thousands of people flooded the base. The atmosphere resembled a festival, with a live band, performers on stilts, therapy dogs, handmade signs and giant cutouts of sailors' smiling faces. People cried, laughed and screamed with joy.
When the Lincoln appeared in the middle distance around noon, rounding the corner past downtown, cheers erupted from around the bay. Sailors lined the edges of the ship, waving to the crowd and making phone calls to loved ones. Rust stains were visible on the carrier's sides below American-flag bunting as the massive, city-like ship finally reached land.